Licensing
Meridian VMS uses a tiered licensing model that controls feature availability and camera limits. Licenses are bound to each installation and validated periodically.
License Tiers
Section titled “License Tiers”| Tier | Cameras | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 10 | Free | Basic recording, live view, and playback |
| Home | 10 | $50/year | Full single-server features with AI detection |
| Professional | 64 | Contact sales | Multi-server with advanced analytics |
| Enterprise | Unlimited | Contact sales | Custom training and full feature set |
Feature Availability
Section titled “Feature Availability”| Feature | Free | Home | Professional | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live view & recording | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Playback & clip export | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dashboard & events | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI object detection | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| LPR/ANPR | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PTZ control | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Alarm manager & SOPs | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Notifications | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lens check | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CLIP appearance search | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Video synopsis | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Heatmaps | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Home Assistant | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Remote access (cloud) | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tiered storage | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-server | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-site | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Server failover | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Line crossing | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Loitering detection | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Custom model training | — | — | — | Yes |
Activation
Section titled “Activation”During Installation
Section titled “During Installation”The web-based installer handles license registration automatically. You provide your name and email, and a free license is issued. To activate a paid tier, enter your license key during installation or upgrade later from the VMS settings.
Post-Installation
Section titled “Post-Installation”To upgrade or change your license:
- Go to Settings > License in the VMS web interface
- Enter your new license key
- The system validates and activates immediately
Hardware Binding
Section titled “Hardware Binding”Each license is bound to the installation where it is first activated:
- A unique installation ID is generated during setup
- A hardware fingerprint is derived from the server’s network configuration
- These are recorded on first activation and checked on subsequent validations
This prevents a single license from being used on multiple servers simultaneously.
License Transfer
Section titled “License Transfer”If you move your VMS to a new server:
- Log in to your account at cloud.meridianvms.com
- Go to My Licenses
- Click Transfer License
- The hardware binding is cleared, allowing activation on a new server
Validation
Section titled “Validation”The VMS periodically validates your license to confirm it is active and properly bound. This requires internet access.
- Validation occurs approximately every 72 hours
- If the license server is unreachable, the VMS continues operating normally using cached validation
- Home and Free tiers have unlimited offline grace periods
- No personal data is transmitted during validation — only the license key, installation ID, and basic system info (camera count, VMS version)
Air-Gapped Installations
Section titled “Air-Gapped Installations”For installations without internet access:
- Contact support to receive an offline license file
- Import the license file through Settings > License > Import Offline License
- The offline license is valid for 1 year and must be renewed annually
Billing
Section titled “Billing”Paid licenses (Home tier) are managed through our billing partner. You can:
- View your subscription at cloud.meridianvms.com under My Licenses
- Cancel or change your subscription at any time
- Licenses remain active until the end of the billing period after cancellation